Acupuncture in Uterine Fibroids Management: Literature Update on Frequently Used Acupoints and the Underlying Mechanism-A Narrative Review.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths of myometrium cells. Seeking for advantageous methods to alleviate their debilitating symptoms is of extreme importance. Acupuncture with global reach could be a beneficial treatment method for uterine fibroids. As in clinical practice, the selection and combination of acupoints is a challenging issue, we conducted a literature review to discover the most frequently used acupoints in treatment of uterine fibroids and the underlying principle of their usage.

METHODS

Four databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, and Google Scholar) were searched for the studies on treating uterine fibroids with acupuncture, restricted to English language and available full texts or abstracts from their inception until January 31, 2025.

RESULTS

Totally, 24 acupuncture prescriptions were found and explored. 53 meridian acupoints, 4 extra points, one ear acupuncture point, and seven Tung's acupuncture points were used. CV4 (Guanyuan), SP6 (Sanyinjiao), Zigong (EX-CA1) and CV3 (Zhongji) were most frequently selected. The total application of acupoints was 179 times. The acupoints on the Conception Vessel (CV) and Stomach meridian of foot-Yangming were most frequently applied (30.16% and 16.75% respectively), while the Bladder meridian of foot-Taiyang had the maximum number of prescribed acupoints (13.84%). The acupoints located on Yin meridians were more frequently used than those on Yang meridians (55.30% vs. 31.84%).

CONCLUSION

The results of this review can provide a reference of acupoint selection for future surveys. Considering the lack of adequate clinical trials on treatment of uterine fibroids with acupuncture, additional investigations are needed to increase the evidence targeting the efficacy of acupuncture for the management of uterine fibroids.